Comrades marathon on a charity drive MyZA

There is no better way to start the 88th Comrades Marathon than by supporting the greater good.

With this in mind, the Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) launched its 2013 Amabeadibeadi charity initiative in Sandton, Johannesburg, recently.

The CMA in the past year has prioritised its charitable outreach and last year raised a record R3.2m for its six official charities.

This year’s campaign, “U are ultraordinary”, focuses on the runner and, with it, the ultraordinary ways in which Comrades runners can contribute towards fundraising for the following charities: Starfish Greathearts Foundation, Community Chest, Sports Trust, Wildlands Conservation Trust, PinkDrive and World Vision South Africa.

A major part of the 2013 Amabeadibeadi campaign is the “Toyota Win-a-Car Competition”, where a brand new Toyota Etios will be up for grabs on race day (June 2).

This is a meaningful display of the support that the Comrades has enjoyed from South Africa’s largest automotive manufacturer since 2010.

The competition has been a driving force for Amabeadibeadi fundraising and sees thousands of rands channeled into the charitable coffers each year.

Runners and the public can enter by SMSing “Toyota” to 34068 at a cost of R1.50 per SMS.

Part of the 2013 charity campaign is the continuation of the Race4Charity initiative. Through this platform, runners have the opportunity to “secure” their spot closer to the front of the start line and improve their seeding batch.

Race4Charity gives individuals an opportunity to make a difference and gives back to the less fortunate.

Go to www.comrades.com and follow the Race4Charity link.